By 15 Habits to Help You Stick to a Self-care Plan and Relieve Stress
April 11, 2021
Do you have a personal care plan that you use to help recharge your batteries in life? Imagine that you sit down to breakfast and want a second cup of coffee or tea, but the kettle is empty. It’s frustrating to be thirsty and have nothing to drink, but your life can be a lot like that empty pot with nothing to share with others.
How can you pour of yourself if you have nothing in your pot to give? Each day starts with a limited amount of resources, which equates to how much you can do during the day. You put a lot of yourself into your work, then your family takes a good chunk, and then there are the hundreds of other things that take up your time.
You go to bed exhausted, stressed and begging the Universe for a few more hours to get everything ready. Now, what if the pot doesn’t get refilled overnight? What if the stressors of the day before took so much away from you that you don’t have enough resources to get through another day?
According to a Gallup poll referenced by the American Institute of Stress, 55 percent of Americans admit to being stressed, and 83 percent of those people find that stress comes from work. Another shocking finding is that Gen Z or millennials are much more stressed than baby boomers. One study found that 52 percent of people in this age group are most stressed out rather than just 41 percent of the baby boomers crowd.
15 Useful Habits for an Effective Self-Care Plan
Your body can only take so much pressure and it will close in on you. Fortunately, you can stop things before they go to the extreme by practicing a few simple habits to ensure you get your much-needed personal care.
1. Wake up at the same time
Sure, it feels so good sleep on a saturday morningBut how many times do you wake up with a headache? Your body sticks to a schedule and any relief can make you feel awful. Try to wake up at around the same time every day to feel good and achieve more.
2. Use a gratitude journal
When was the last time you tried to write what you are grateful for? You have many blessings that some people only dream of having. When life seems cruel and cruel, use your journal as a guide to show that you only have a temporary setback.
3. Focus on the here and now
Worry is one of the biggest time thieves of all. When you focus on things that have not happened, you are stealing precious time from the here and now. Did you know that Psychology Today states that 91 percent of your worries never come true, so don’t waste time worrying about them.
4. Use phone applications to track fitness
When you use apps on your phone to track fitness, you instantly become more responsible. Do you have a good exercise routine? Exercise is a valuable tool, as it helps fight depression and anxiety naturally by increasing neurotransmitters in the brain, according to Medical news today.
5. Take responsibility
Scheduling time for yourself is just as important as getting to work on time. Take responsibility for your “me time” as it will be what will keep you going. You will soon learn that these little escapes of alone time are necessary to survive.
6. Use your free time wisely
If you have some free time, don’t give it away to anyone. Take some time to do things for yourself. It’s okay to go shopping for new shoes, get a new hairstyle, or try that new smoothie they keep advertising at the local ice cream parlor. Turn off your phone and enjoy some silence and a little indulgence.
7. Schedule tasks until they become habits
If you can’t fit into your schedule naturally, you need to stick to a plan until it becomes a habit. Maybe it will be a Pilates class every Thursday at 7pm. It may not seem important the first few times you do it, but once you see it on the calendar every week and go, it will soon become a habit.
8. Keep a food diary
The connection between your brain and your gut it is becoming evident. If you want to feel good and have more energy, you need to eat the right foods. Strengthen your journey in life by consuming nutritious food.
A journal helps you be responsible for what you put in your mouth. Also, if you have weight problems, a food journal can help you stick to a specific number of calories or carbohydrates.
9. Treat yourself
Whoever came up with the concept that only children get treats was sadly wrong. Age or stage of life does not matter; you long to be rewarded for your efforts. While you may no longer go to the park to swing or play in the jungle gym, you need to find other ways to pamper yourself to stick to your self-care plan.
10. Practice good sleep hygiene
While the amount of sleep a person needs varies greatly, it is necessary to practice good sleep hygiene. You should be around the same time each night and wake up at the same time every day. If you start to borrow hours of sleep to get things done, you will have a deficiency that can cause all kinds of problems.
Sleep should be an important part of your personal care plan, and nothing can make you feel more miserable than losing several hours of sleep during the week.
11. Use positive affirmations
Start the morning on the right foot. When you get out of bed every day, try using positive affirmations to keep yourself in control. Your self-care should be one of those affirmations. When you tell your psyche by reiterating everything you will do, you will be surprised how much better you will feel.
12. Tidy up your home and your mind
Cleaning your spaces may seem like a big task, but it will make you feel so much better. When it is more structured, it will do more things. Fortunately, an organized person will generally have more time to devote to self-care. If everything in your life is a chaotic mess, how will you fit the time for your personal needs?
13. make a list of tasks and activities
How many times have you asked your spouse or children to make a list of all the things they wanted to do? You should also make a list that you can refer to that includes the things you like. What tasks and activities help you feel more relaxed?
Once you identify the things that help you calm down and relax, you need to incorporate them into your day.
14. Practice yoga and meditation
Both yoga and meditation They are ancient art forms that help clear negative energy from the mind and body. It should be part of your personal care plan because it is so refreshing. When you need to relax or unwind, this should be your preferred activity.
15. Create a zen space
Do you have space in your home where you can go and relax? No, your home office does not count as such an area. You want a place free from electronics, stress, and where you can snuggle up with a good book or take a nap. Even a large swing on the porch is a great place to be alone and relax.
Final thoughts on your personal care plan
Why do people always put themselves and their needs last? As a mother or father, it is common to put your children first, but when you put everything in this world before your needs, you are asking for trouble.
When was the last time you took a personal day and used it for nothing but doing what makes you happy? Do you have mental health days that you can use to recharge your batteries? The mental health crisis in this country is growing to epic proportions, and in part it’s because people don’t have a self-care plan to help them recover from stress.
According to the American Anxiety and Depression Association, more than 40 million people suffer from these common disorders. While chemical imbalances can cause some of the problems, many people suffer from circumstantial illnesses that can be changed simply by changing their lifestyle.
